Stubborn Torrent
by Candid Dame
Summary: She was searching for her brother when she found him. In a world where the dead feast on the living, she doesn't have time for distractions. But that is exactly what love is. Now they must rely on one another to survive. DarylXKagome New summary in progress. Rated M for possible future content
1. Claimers

Had this idea for a lil' bit and decided just now to make something of it. It's currently 2:30 in the morning here. Usually I would be sleeping. Obviously. Hopefully the writing doesn't reflect my lack of rest. Either way I'm sure I'll come back and edit. But for right now I'm excited to get this out there. Sorry it's so short. Regardless, I hope you like it! Please read and review. Give your honest opinion. Any advice is welcome. Enjoy.

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Claimers

From a distance, he could hear the sound of boots scuffing through the dirt of the road. He knew he'd sat there for some time. The sun had made progress across the expanse of sky since he'd dropped to the gravel road. He'd chased the car that had taken Beth until it disappeared from sight. Afterward, Darryl found himself exhausted. Not physically, but mentally.

Gravel skidding across the road drew his attention back to the sound of boots. It wasn't the scraping shuffle of the undead, no. These footsteps, although lazy and relaxed, belonged to survivors. Years spent in the wilderness hunting and tracking had trained his ears to the subtleties of different movement. Glaring up at the men that moved to surround him, he gathered his strength. Despite being weary and worn, he wouldn't allow them to kill him.

A single man moved in front of him, sizing him up from his position on the ground. Taking advantage of the close proximity, Daryl lashed out, muscled arm landing a solid blow to the man's chest, knocking him to the dirt. He seized the opportunity and leapt to his feet, training his crossbow on the downed man.

The other men lurched, raising their own weapons toward him.

"Damn it, hold up!" The man at his feet called, posture relaxed.

"I'm claiming the vest." Daryl darted his eyes behind himself to find a lanky man, compound bow gripped in his hands. "I like them wings." He smirked.

"Hold up" The old man waved. The men's postures remained rigid as he stood with a laugh. He gestured toward the crossbow in his hands as he took a step back.

"A bow man. I respect that. See a man with a rifle he coulda been some kinda photographer, or a soccer coach back in the day." A sneer crossed his face at the thought. "A bow man's a bow man. Through and through. What you got there? Hundred-fifty pound draw weight? I've been looking for a weapon like that. Course I'd want one with a bit more ammo and minus the oblongata stains."

Dark eyes narrowed on the man in front of him, wary of where he was going with the line of conversation.

"Get yourself in some trouble, partner?" The same voice jeered from behind. Daryl held his tongue. No need to prematurely set them off. He steadied his stance, and secured the butt of his bow against his shoulder. The old man raised his hands in a pacifying manner.

"You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you several times over. That what you want? Come on, fella. Suicide is stupid. Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people?" He said with a grin stretching his lips. "Name's Joe."

Hesitating a moment, dark eyes scanned the face of the man in front of him before he lowered his weapon. "Daryl"

The other men followed suit, lowering their weapons. He glanced around, assessing the people whose company he now found himself in. Joe gave an approving nod, however, a subtle movement behind his bulky form drew his attention.

Daryl stepped aside, readying his weapon before he realized what it is he was looking at. A woman stood several yards away, a recurve bow gripped in one hand while the other held an arrow poised against the string. She stood still as stone, the only movement being her thigh length midnight blue hair that curled playfully with the breeze. That, he realized, was the movement that had caught his attention. She wore fitted jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a loose leather jacket. He stood frozen. How long had she been there? He hadn't even noticed her and that, he thought with a shiver, was dangerous.

Len's shuffling steps stopped beside him, breaking his trance.

"Don' even think about it." He sneered. "That bitch is gon' be mine." He said confidently before sweeping his greasy brown hair away from his face and sending, what Daryl assumed was supposed to be, a charming smile toward the woman. Daryl ignored Len as he moved away to speak with Joe.

When he turned back around he found clear amethyst pools set within a heart shaped face boring into him. She was moving toward him, boots moving almost soundlessly over the gravel road. He could only catch a muted crunch as her feet lifted from the ground. It was almost unnerving how quiet she moved.

She paused beside him, blue eyes locked onto his face. She was petite, her head only coming up to his shoulders. Despite her size, she moved with confidence, her back straight and proud. A small smile curved on her pale plump lips, drawing his attention to her mouth.

"Kagome." She murmured, eyes exploring his face. She was foreign. He could hear the lilt of an accent in her words, minimal as it was. A tiny hand came to rest on the exposed skin of his bicep, sending a jolt of electricity through his body, startling him.

Her lips took on an teasing twist at his continued silence. It took him a moment longer to find his voice before he finally answered.

"Daryl"


	2. Dangers Known

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and the Walking Dead belong to their respective owner which, unfortunately, is not me.

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Dangers Known

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Daryl had hoped that when he laid down that night, sleep would come quick. His muscles throbbed with a dull ache and his eyelids were heavy but, he found being surrounded by multiple unknowns made sleep difficult. He shifted irritably, turning his back to the perimeter and scanned the temporary camp. It was quiet with the exception of the occasional restless turning. Piercing blue eyes glared into the darkness, noticing the absence of the lone woman that traveled with them. Her presence had been pressing at the edges of his mind despite the warning bells that insisted his attention remain on his surroundings.

Scanning the bodies huddled within the perimeter created by thin wire and tin cans, Daryl confirmed that Kagome wasn't among them. The woman was odd. She had trailed silently behind them like a shadow all day. She never engaged anyone or approached them. By time everyone set out to prepare the small clearing they would be making camp, the woman still hadn't joined them.

Initially, Daryl assumed she would settle in once everything was set up, but that had been hours ago and there was still no sign of her. An irritated grunt passed his lips as he moved to stand. No one took notice as he shouldered his crossbow, slipped beneath the perimeter wire, avoiding the tin cans, and moved into the dense foliage.

"Broad prob'ly got herself killed," He snorted, pulling branches out of his path. The dry wood creaked in protest, snapping back into place as soon as he released it. Daryl winced at the noise that seemed magnified in the stillness of the night, the moonlight streaming through the canopy above only served to cast ominous shadows on the ground below.

The night was sweltering and humid. A thin layer of sweat coated his skin, regardless, an eerie feeling crept down his spine, causing goosebumps to rise on his flesh.

The crack of wood echoed behind him. Daryl turned on his heel, bracing the butt of his crossbow against his shoulder with practiced ease, leveling the sight on a shadowed figure hovering at the treeline. He hesitated for a moment in uncertainty, finger paused on the trigger. He watched as long hair waved like a banner in the breeze. From the distance, the features were obscured by the darkness. Daryl lowered his bow just the slightest bit, eyes narrowing in a vain attempt to pierce through the shadows.

"Kagome?" His low, rough voice tore through the space. Everything was silent for a moment before the grotesque, raspy sound of bones grinding and tendons stretching reached his ears. The figure moved toward him, stepping into a beam of light and revealing a young girl whose chest had been blown apart. Rotting flesh hung in ribbons from splintered bones. She was long gone, so, without another thought, Daryl aimed and released an arrow.

The corpse dropped with a dull thud. Everything was still for a moment before a faint sound drew his attention above and toward the swaying branches. His muscles tensed at the familiar creak of a string being pulled taut.

A quiet twang sounded and he reflexively dove to take cover behind the nearest tree, cursing just as an arrow sailed passed his face. Another thud sounded behind him. Cautiously, crouching low and keeping the tree between himself and the archer, Daryl turned to see another downed walker mere feet from where he'd been standing.

"Daryl?" The soft voice of the woman he'd come searching for called out to him. Daryl straightened up as a shadowed figure dropped down from above. Relief and aggravation filled him at the sight of her.

"Damn girl, watch where you're shooting." Daryl growled. A light giggle left curled lips as Kagome moved toward the walker.

"Relax. You were never in any danger." She looked at him with laughing blue eyes before she began inspecting her work. Kagome kneeled at the head of the corpse and raised her hands in prayer. She remained there a moment, bathed in the moonlight with Daryl peering at her curiously.

"What're you doin'?"

There was a pause before she lowered her hands to her lap, fingers curling into the material there.

"I'm praying for his soul to rest peacefully,"

"Lady, it's just a meat sack. That thing don't have no soul."

"Maybe not anymore," She interrupted him. Kagome's eyes gleamed up at him, her pale skin luminescent under the light of the moon.

"But this body, broken and morbid as it is now," Her words were punctuated by the sick squelch the corpse made as she removed the arrow from it's eye.

"This body once housed a soul. A person with wishes and fears, dreams and secrets," She inspected the arrow for damage before depositing it into the quiver on her back. Standing, she came face-to-face with Daryl's striking blue eyes. His lips were drawn into a thin line. He was skeptical, but remained silent.

"You should go back to camp, get some rest." She moved to turn away but was stopped by Daryl's light grip laced around her wrist.

"Where you think you're goin'? You can't sleep out here alone. It's dangerous," A somber smile appeared on Kagome's face. Somehow the expression looked wrong on her soft features.

"The world is full of danger. Some places more than others."

Daryl could hear the words that remained unspoken. _People._ People had become just as dangerous as the living dead and they were far more unpredictable. The dead were simple. They sought to consume and nothing else. The living, in comparison, were infinitely more complicated; they always had been. They often withheld or disguised any unsavory motives. Kagome tugged on her hand bringing Daryl's attention back toward her. He allowed her to slip free without further resistance. He gave a nod of understanding and Kagome returned the gesture with a soothing smile.

Daryl watched her walk away until her silhouette disappeared into the darkness of the surrounding trees. With a tired sigh, he collected his own arrow from the downed corpse and made his way toward the camp.

Ducking under the perimeter wire, Daryl's eyes caught sight of Len's alert gaze over the short distance between them. Daryl was barely inside the perimeter before Len was sneering down at him, attempting to use his height to his advantage.

"You run off to go see that sweet ass?" The man's course voice demanded, moving toward him. "I already told you, she's been claimed. Now, how's about you tell me where she's hidin', hmm?" Len leaned down, a crooked grin adorning his leathered face. Daryl pushed passed the man and moved toward his chosen sleeping area.

"I didn't see nothin' but a couple walkers. I put 'em down. She's pro'ly dead anyhow." Daryl answered while getting comfortable on the hard ground, using his sack as a pillow.

"Nah, she ain't dead yet. Blood runs hot in that one." Len let out a laugh, leering over Daryl's relaxed form.

"They're the best ones. Yeah, the fighters," Len palmed his dick over the fabric of his jeans with a groan. "She's gonna be a hot fuck."

Daryl kept his face neutral, detached from his disgusted thoughts and shifted to lay on his side, facing away from the disturbed man behind him. Daryl heard as the man laughed and finally moved away, presumably back to his own designated resting spot.

Daryl needed to make a plan. He _needed_ to find Beth, or Rick, or _anyone_ but he didn't know where to start. There was no way to know where everyone had scattered. Or where the car with the cross had taken Beth. Daryl was stressed and worn. It took him a while to calm his raging thoughts, but with what was guaranteed to be a stressful day come the next morning, Daryl forced himself into a dreamless sleep.

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I'm sorry this update was so slow coming but my grandmother died recently and I've had a hard time getting motivated to write. I think I'm starting to get a rhythm. Hopefully. I have a few stories I've been considering such as a crossover with a gender bent Ariel from The Little Mermaid. And I've been watching reruns of House so I thought something involving that crossover would be fun. And I don't think there are nearly enough Miroku/Kagome pairings. So gotta throw that in as well as a Kohaku/Kag. Another that's been on my mind has been a Twilight cross. I kinda have something started but I'm not sure who Kagome should be paired with.. I'll be putting a poll up on my bio if anyone's interested in sharing their thoughts.

Enough of that. I really appreciate all the support whether it's in the form of favs or reviews. Let me know what you think of this newest chapter and I hope to have the next up soon.


	3. A Warning

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Walking Dead belong to their respective owners which, unfortunately, is not me.

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A Warning

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Kagome woke early the next morning to the raspy groans of an undead woman clawing at the base of the tree she had slept in. Kagome tried her best to stretch her limbs from her awkward position strapped to the trunk. Bunched muscles pulled pleasantly while bones and joints gave audible cracks. Trees were hardly the most comfortable place to sleep but she found them to be, by far, the safest. A heavy sigh fell past her lips as she began releasing the belts strapping her to the tree.

Once free, she secured the belts around her waist and pulled a long knife from the leather case wrapped around her thigh. Kagome carefully crept down through the thick branches of the tree until she hovered just out of the dead woman's reach.

Lifeless brown eyes stared at her from a gaunt, pale face. Unconsciously, a thin tendril of power escaped her, brushing over the corpse in search of the soul that used to inhabit it. There was nothing. The woman was long gone, replaced by a mindless hungering monster. Her power couldn't even identify that anything was there. It simply felt like an unnatural emptiness at the edge of her senses.

Kagome drew her power back into her, allowing it to settle. Her gaze passed over the dead woman. She watched as fragile fingers dug into the rough bark without regard for the bones protruding from the torn flesh.

The sight caused her stomach to roil unpleasantly. She needed to hurry. She needed to find Souta. Her teeth clenched in anger. She had tried reasoning with the 'Claimers' without success. Once something was claimed, they refused to relinquish their hold, regardless if something already belonged to another. She was done being reasonable. As soon as a window presented itself, she would take back her pendant and find her brother.

Briefly closing her eyes, she forced her shoulders to relax.

"Another day," Kagome murmured, steadying her grip on the knife's leather hilt. She tipped forward, allowing her feet to slide from the branch, and fell. The blade lodged into the woman's skull without resistance as she landed, the dead leaves crunching beneath her feet.

Kagome laid the corpse on the ground and performed a short prayer before she moved on, trading the knife for her bow. Within the hour, she had hunted her meager breakfast, eaten, doused the fire, and was moving toward the Claimer's campsite. Remaining in the heavy shadows provided by the forest, Kagome paused outside the wire perimeter.

A quick scan confirmed that they were all still resting. She slid silently beneath the wires and stepped within the circle of men. Blue eyes roamed over the forest floor and the bodies that sprawled across it; searching.

A scowl curved her mouth when she discovered that two of the campers were missing, as well as their belongings. Without hesitating, she ducked out of the camp and into the shadows, releasing a pulse of energy as she moved. Her reiki flowed through the forest, briefly combing over the slumbering men before dismissing them and moving on. The next aura her power brushed against felt oily and undulated in a nauseating manner; Len. He was moving slow toward a fiery pale green aura.

"Daryl" The name fell past her lips in alarm. She forced her muscles into action, sprinting toward the men. Her quiver beat against her back as she raced, the arrows jostling around inside. They were close. Within minutes she was hovering just outside of where she knew the two men to be. Urging her heart to slow it's pace, she drew an arrow and braced it against her bow as she crept through the underbrush.

Len stood with his back toward her, an arrow set in his own compound bow. The crunching of dead leaves drew her attention away from the man in front of her and toward the tiny form darting across the forest floor. She watched as the tall bearded man raised his bow and began tracking the movement.

 _A hare?_ She wondered. A heavy breath fell past her lips, thin shoulders hunching in relief. Blue eyes scanned the clearing and locked onto the lean muscled form of Daryl. He was moving slow, crouching and readying his own bow, apparently unaware of the fact that he was not alone on his hunt.

Kagome watched in revulsion as a twisted smirk formed on Len's face. The mere expression caused bile to gather in her throat. Ignoring the sickening sensation, she joined the men in training her bow on the hare. Len had no honor. None of the 'Claimers' did. She doubted anyone had even bothered to explain their primitive 'laws' to the man. Daryl had a good soul. His aura shinned bright in her mind's eye as proof and she refused to let these men corrupt or take advantage of him.

The small creature rose on it's haunches, sensing the danger. Kagome whispered a quiet apology before she allowed her arrow to slide from between her fingers. The calm twang of her string was echoed by two more bows. Each arrow skewered the defenseless creature expertly, ending it's life the instant it was struck.

"The hell!" Daryl's outraged cry broke through the quiet. He spun, eyes locking on Len and Kagome who was stepping out from behind the bush she'd been concealed behind. Kagome ignored his anger and rounded on Len, keeping a cautious distance between them

"Claimed," She declared, glaring up into Len's muddy brown eyes. The man's face contorted into a vicious scowl as he took an intimidating step toward her. Kagome steeled her resolve. She refused to let this man scare her. She had dealt with far more powerful people in her life.

"Your claim ain't got any standing," Len barked. "You ain't part of our group."

"No," She scoffed at the thought, standing her ground "But Daryl is."

So caught up in her anger, Kagome didn't notice the fourth presence that entered the clearing until she felt the wave of hot breath fanning at the back of her neck.

"He's right, girly."

Kagome's skin crawled at the familiar voice. Her muscles froze momentarily and she had to force her limbs to obey her urgent commands. Turning around she found herself being dwarfed by the imposing figure of Joe. Kagome backpedalled, desperate to put some distance between them. Joe merely laughed, dry lips curling over yellowing teeth in a mocking grin. Kagome's grip tightened around the shaft of her bow to the point where the blood leached out of her fingertips. She forced her grip to loosen and watched warily as Joe turned his gaze away.

"You aren't one of us and if you aren't one of us, you aren't gonna be claiming anything. I suppose you're right though. No one's explained the rules to our new boy, Daryl," Joe sauntered over toward Daryl. "See, goin it alone? That ain't an option nowadays. Still, it is survival of the fittest. That's a paradox right there. So, I laid out some rules of the road to keep things from goin' Darwin every couple hours. Keep our merry band together and stress free. All you gotta do is claim. That's how you mark your territory, your prey, your bed at night. One word." Joe held up a thick digit for emphasis. "Claimed."

"I ain't claiming nothing," Daryl objected, his voice a low rumble.

"We gon' teach him, right? Your rules say we gotta teach him." Len demanded, capturing Joe's attention.

"Now it wouldn't be fair to punish you for violating a rule you never even knew existed." Joe ignored Len as he scowled and paced behind him.

"Ain't no rules no more" Daryl's blue eyes jumped toward Kagome's for a brief moment. She stood near the circle of trees, bow held in front of her in a defensive manner. Daryl tore his eyes away from her and focused his attention back on Joe.

"Oh there are. You know that. That's why I didn't kill you for the crossbow," Daryl jerked away as Joe reached toward the hare dangling from his fist.

"Easy there, partner," Joe paused for a moment before taking hold of the other end of the hare. Raising the hare in one hand, he lifted his hatchet with the other and chopped the creature in half. He tossed his half of the animal at Len. "Claimed. That's all you gotta say." A frown marred Daryl's face as Len stalked away.

"Hey, ass end's still an end." Joe grinned toward the silent man before turning and following Len back toward the camp. Daryl's eyes watched cautiously as the two men moved into the forest. It was only when they disappeared from his sight that he turned his blue eyes onto the woman who remained behind. Azure locked onto sapphire.

Kagome urged her heart to soften it's erratic beat. Just being in the presence of the Claimers made her skin crawl. Each of their aura's radiated poisonous intent. Anyone outside of their group was nothing more than prey; something to be claimed, abused, and discarded. She wouldn't let them taint Daryl. She refused.

Kagome swept toward Daryl, slinging her bow onto her back, and took hold of his wrist, urging him to follow. Thankfully he didn't resist and wordlessly walked behind her. She led him toward a small stream she had passed earlier that day and released his wrist. It took her only a moment to gather some kindling and spark a fire. She then moved to sit at the bank of the little stream. Stripping her boots from her aching feet, she dangled her feet into the cool water with a content sigh. Daryl watched her do all this in silence, cautious and unsure as to why she had pulled him away. They didn't know each other but she acted strangely comfortable with him.

Feeling the stare that was burning into her back, Kagome cast a nervous smile toward him and gestured toward the fire.

"You should cook that meat. It'll keep better." She suggested.

Daryl searched her eyes for a moment before she turned her attention back toward the running water. Shrugging, he scanned the surrounding trees for any signs of danger as moved toward the fire.

"Thanks" He replied gruffly. Kagome distracted herself with weaving small braids throughout her hair as Daryl began working. Pulling out a blade, he sliced the hare into strips with practiced ease, and hung the meat over the flames to cook. It only took Daryl a few minutes to complete the job and then he was moving toward her. Kagome tried to contain her anxiety as Daryl's cautious eyes remained fixed on her even as he kneeled beside her. He dipped his calloused hands into the cool water and began scrubbing the blood away, focused on his new task.

"I think-" She paused for a moment, biting her lip. Steely blue eyes were locked onto her again. "I think you should go." Kagome could've slapped herself for how those words came out. She'd never been particularly eloquent and, at the moment, it was glaringly obvious.

"I mean," She rushed to explain herself. "It's not safe with these people." Again! What was she doing? Kagome pulled her feet from the stream and stood to face Daryl. The hunter followed her actions and stood to his full height, a heavy glare falling onto her, and a scowl marring his lips.

"I can take care of myself and I don't need some pixie bitch telling me what to do." Daryl's deep tenor snapped her from her self abuse. Kagome froze in stupefied shock before his words registered in her brain. She was only trying to help this backwoods jerk! Rage flooded her brain.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do," Kagome hissed from between clenched teeth. "I'm trying to be a decent human being. I'm telling you that these people are monsters." Kagome could feel her anger coiling even as she tried to remain calm. Daryl merely snorted and gave her his back as he made his way to the fire.

"Don't ignore me!" Kagome grabbed hold of his shoulder and forced him to face her. Irritation painted his features. They were uncomfortably close but neither would allow themselves to back away.

"Now, I don't know you and, despite the fact that you're a total jerk, I can tell you're a good man." Kagome forced herself to ignore the little smile that itched at her face as Daryl's clear blue eyes narrowed on her. She needed to push on. He needed to know that he couldn't trust these people.

"You don't know what these men are willing to do to get what they want. You don't know what they _have_ done."

"If they're so terrible then why don't you just leave?"

"I can't!" Kagome burst. Her breath escaped her in furious pants, chest heaving with the rush of blood flowing through her veins. She clenched her eyes tight against the sting of angry tears. Fingers curled into fists at her sides, nails punching thin crescents into the fragile skin of her palms. Taking a deep breath, she forced her muscles to relax.

"They have something that belongs to me. I need it so I can find my brother," Kagome forced the words past the tightness in her throat. A warm hand descended on her shoulder. Shocked, Kagome glanced up at Daryl, he was looking away and his handsome features were contorted into an uncomfortable frown but it was his hand that grasped her shoulder. Obviously he wasn't used to lending comfort. Her eyes softened at the gruff man. She pulled his hand away, giving his fingers a grateful squeeze before she dropped them. She turned a gentle smile up toward him.

"Just-" She paused for a moment. "Please be careful."

Daryl gave half a shrug but nodded anyway. Then he was crouched beside the fire again, unruly brown locks falling into his face as he moved. Kagome watched him as he packed away the cooked rabbit. A sense of anxiety built up in her chest as he gave her a short wave and began making his way into the forest in the direction of camp.

She would remain closeby. She knew that Daryl was capable of taking care of himself. He wouldn't have made it _this_ far if he didn't. However, this knowledge didn't help to ease the tightness in her muscles. The sense of foreboding that lingered. She only hoped that he would listen to her warning.

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Another! Hope it's okay. Thank you for all your support and well wishes. Let me know what you think. Love you guys!


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